Take It Away
by Something Unpredictable
Summary: Devi is getting worse. Her mind is slowly being torn apart and her whole body along with it. Will she manage to save her creativity before it's too late?
1. Chapter 1

_Take away the sensation inside  
Bitter sweet migraine in my head  
Its like a throbbing toothache of the mind  
I can't take this feeling any more._

Devi screamed as another wave of pain washed over her. It hurt everywhere! Her mind was slowly being torn apart and her whole body along with it. There was only her, on her sofa, writhing in agony. Nothing existed except for the pain and the fear. The fear of not only losing her mind, but the of giving up and losing everything else. Long had she battled with the demons in her mind, but it was a battle she was losing. Everyday she felt more and more slip away. But it was sleep; sleep seemed to cause the most damage.

Every night, she stayed awake as long as she could. She played loud music and read and tried to paint. Anything to keep her awake. It never worked for long. She had terrible nightmares and awoke screaming. The second she woke, the pain started again. It lasted a couple of hours then stopped abruptly, leaving Devi slightly dazed and scared. She grabbed a cup of strong black coffee before leaving to go to work. Although she knew the danger of hope, by mid-afternoon she would have convinced herself that she'd stay awake that night; she'd stay awake and the dreams would never come, she would be strong and she would win! But every night she fell and sleep would ebb over her.

\***/

Tenna had stopped calling. After trying numerous times to convince her friend to get help, she accepted defeat. She stayed for a couple of weeks, then after a particularly vicious argument one night, left, leaving Devi completely alone. Devi was feeling more and more resentful towards the world. With every day bringing more pain and suffering, she lost the will to even try and communicate with other people. People with their false questions. None of them really wanted to know how she was doing; it was just polite to ask - not that Devi usually adhered to society's expected reply of 'fine thank you' at the best of times. Now, when she replied truthfully, they nodded slowly then backed away. No one wanted to talk to some crazy goth chick.

\***/

As Devi grew weaker, her paranoia grew stronger. She was constantly plagued by the voice in her head taunting her about her friend who 'thought he could fight'. Everywhere she looked, she saw thin shadows and heard those heavy steel tipped boots. But the startling thing, she wasn't only scared. She was...hopeful? Any glimpse of a tall thin man in a crowd and she would watch, just to make sure that it wasn't him. It never was.


	2. Chapter 2

Devi found herself becoming more and more angry. Even the slightest nuisance would send her into a rage. Often she found herself ranting about the most random of topics. She could tell that she was scaring people and, to be honest, she was scaring herself. With every painful morning her life sank deeper and deeper until she thought she could sink no lower. But lo and behold, the next day came and it was worse.

It was a Tuesday when she finally snapped. Devi s day had been bad from the very beginning. Arriving at work ten minutes late, she was yelled at by her boss even though she had skipped breakfast so that she could attempt to arrive on time. Knowing that the day could only get worse, she took her place behind the cash register.

The bell on top of the door rang, signalling a new customer. Devi plastered a smile onto her face. 'Hello, welcome to Bargain Books, how may I help you?' The man, who appeared to be in his early twenties, smiled. 'Oh I don't think I need your help, I was looking for a book called ''How to Find The Perfect Woman.'' I think I found her.' He winked and leaned over the counter. 'How about you and I go out for a drink tonight?'  
Devi leaned as far back as possible.'God, try using some toothpaste!' she thought to herself. She could tell this was the sort of guy who wouldn't take no for an answer. 'Um, I'm already seeing someone,' she said hastily. 'I wont tell if you won't.' The man was moving his hand across the counter. 'HER NAME'S TENNA!' Devi shouted just before he reached her. 'Oh...um. Yeah, I'm going to go now...' The man backed quickly out of the door. 'Thank God for that! I wonder why I thought of Tenna? I might have to use that one again some time.' Devi smiled to herself.

At 10:30 Devi took her break and went into the back room. 'God, I could really use some coffee,' she sighed to herself. Pouring the coffee into the top of the machine, she pressed the button. To occupy herself while the far-too-slow machine was warming up, she paced the room until she heard the click telling her that it was ready. Reaching into the top cupboard, she grabbed her favourite mug, but someone had stacked them wrongly; as she pulled it down, three other mugs came down with it, all of which smashed on the laminate floor. 'Damnit!' Devi shouted at no one in particular. She grabbed the broom out of the corner and swept away all the pieces. When all the visible shards had been swept up, she grabbed another mug out of the cupboard, being careful not to drop anything else. Placing it under the machine Devi exhaled before pulling the lever back.

As the mug filled, Devi sighed contentedly. No matter how bad her day had been so far, a steaming mug of coffee would make everything better. The mug was filled and Devi smiled, bringing it up to her lips. Expecting the comforting, familiar taste of crappy store-bought coffee, she took a sip and then spat it out all over the floor. It was cold. 'Arggghhhh!' Devi half growled, half sobbed.  
The boss poked his head around the door. 'Oh yeah, forgot to tell you. The coffee machine's broken. Sorry.' he shrugged as he went back to whatever he was doing.

After cleaning up the spilt coffee, Devi decided to go out for coffee instead. Grabbing her coat she was halfway out of the door when her boss appeared from nowhere. 'Break's over;get back to work!'  
Devi was about to tell him where he could stick his stupid job, but remembering how much she needed the work she lowered her head. 'Yes, sir,' she sighed and took her place back behind the counter.

The lack of coffee made the rest of the morning almost unbearable. It was as though she was walking through treacle; she had no energy for anything. But she suffered in silence. There was no one to talk to. Since the incident earlier, not a single customer had walked through the door. Devi occupied herself by organising the new shipment of books that had just come in. It was a long and excruciatingly boring task, but better than doing nothing; it gave her something to think about.  
The minutes passed slowly, but they did pass. At half-one Devi dropped the pile of books she was halfway through sorting to the floor, grabbed her coat and ran out the door before her boss had a chance to give her another job to do.

She walked a short distance down the high street to her favourite coffee shop. She came in here every day and ordered the same thing: a cup of black coffee and a chicken salad sandwich. The bell rang as she entered the shop and the guy behind the counter smiled at her, lifting her spirits slightly. Finally, her day was going well; if there was something wrong, why would he be smiling? She stepped up to the counter and sat on her regular stool. 'The regular, please, Jack.' she beamed.  
'Umm about that...we're out of coffee but you could have tea or...' Jack never got to finish his sentence.  
'THIS IS A COFFEE SHOP! WHY THE HELL WOULD YOU RUN OUT OF COFFEE?' Devi shouted at the now very scared man behind the counter. 'I'm sorry! I can go out and buy some! I'll only be five minutes!' he pleaded. 'I DON'T HAVE FIVE MINUTES! I HAVE TO GET BACK TO WORK!' Devi screamed.

Devi stormed out of the store slamming the door. To make matters worse, the sun was shining optimistically in the bright blue sky. 'What are you so God-damn happy about?' she shouted to the heavens. She was so angry, she failed to notice all the people staring at 'the crazy lady talking to the sky'. She grabbed the door handle to the book store and stomped in.  
'Devi! You're a minute late!' her boss shouted spraying spit with every syllable. 'This is not acceptable! Do it again and you're fired!'

Devi clenched her jaw and her hands balled into fists. 'It would be so easy to break his thin little neck,' a voice in Devi's head whispered. 'Do it! You have the key to the cash register, kill him, take the money and run!' Devi smiled at the thought, then stopped herself. What the hell was she thinking?

'Well, what do you have to say for yourself?' her boss demanded. Devi sighed.  
'Sorry, sir.' She lowered her head 'And...?' her boss waited. 'And it won t happen again, sir.' 'You're right it won t happen again! It's a cruel world out there, Devi, and I know how much you need this job. You need to face the facts, you're never going to get anywhere with those stupid little doodles! And it's not as if you're ever going to find a man to settle down with! I mean look at you! You're just some freaky goth chick!'

'WHO THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?' Devi shouted at the man before her. 'YOU WORK IN A FUCKING BOOKSTORE! AND YOU SAY I'M THE ONE WHO'S GOING NOWHERE! I'VE JUST HAD THE WORST DAY OF MY WHOLE FUCKING LIFE AND I HAVEN'T FOUND ONE SPECK OF SYMPATHY FROM ANYONE! EVERY TIME I LEAVE MY HOUSE, IT'S AS IF I'VE GIVEN UP MY EVERY RIGHT TO BE LEFT ALONE OR TREATED WITH RESPECT! PEOPLE LIKE YOU MAKE ME SICK! YOU MAKE UP FOR YOUR OWN SHORTCOMINGS AND INSECURITIES BY YELLING AND BLAMING ME! WELL FUCK YOU! YOU SPEAK LIES!' Taking a deep breath all the anger drained out of her head and the red haze before her eyes dissolved. The only thing she wanted now was to go home and have a nice cup of strong coffee. 'I'm leaving now...' Devi grabbed her coat.  
'You...you can't just leave!' her boss spluttered out.  
'Are you going to stop me?' Devi questioned. He shook his head and she ran out the door, the bell jingling on its frame. 


	3. Devi's Nightmare

I saw my friend the other day and I don't know  
Exactly just what he became  
It goes to show  
It wasn't long ago  
I was just like you  
And now I think I'm sick and I wanna go home

\****/

Screams filled the air as yet another wave of squirming, writhing tendrils washed over her head, each glistening and dripping red slime. Though they came so close, not a single one touched her, each one dissolving before it reached her. She had long forgotten where the floor was supposed to be as she twisted and contorted in the blackness. The sound of swinging blades next to her ears; the relentless mocking laughter that seemed to be coming from a million different directions; and the screws tightening, squealing, meaningless noise in the darkness surrounded her, filling her head.

Devi had experienced this dream before, practically every night now. Though she recognised it, none of the fear ever dissipated. Every single time, even though by now she knew exactly what was going to happen, it never failed to terrify her. Perhaps it was because she knew the dream so well that it scared her so much. The pressure and anticipation was scarier than anything the dream could throw at her.

But this time, something was different, the scene was changing. The tentacles were moving away, and Devi no longer felt as if she were falling. In fact, she felt a hard surface under her back. She placed both of her hands on the floor and pushed herself up. Slowly, warily, she stood up. Now there was no light and no sound. Completely blinded, Devi refused to grope around in the cold darkness, lest she reach out and touch something horrific. Frozen in the blackness, Devi stayed for what felt like hours.

As suddenly as the tendrils had disappeared, a light appeared in the distance. Still reluctant to move, Devi considered whether or not she was imagining this small ray of light. She decided that she would get nowhere just standing still. Inhaling deeply, she took a step towards the speck. Surprised, Devi found that she had not fallen into some dark abyss and that the light was still there. Exhaling, she looked behind her and to both sides before she ran towards the one distinguishing feature of this endless place.

God, how she ran; her heart racing, her skin covered in goosebumps and her lungs screaming in her chest. She kept running, terrified that if she stopped the light would be extinguished. As she got closer to the source, she saw that it was an industrial lamp, hanging on a cord from some high up invisible ceiling. Under the light was some sort of contraption Devi couldn't make out yet.

Devi stopped, unsure of whether or not to continue. The light was looking less and less inviting, but the oppressive blackness on all sides urged her forwards. She took another hesitant step forward and a scream erupted into the air. Devi jumped backwards, screaming herself. Although she still couldn't make out the device, she realised that someone was trapped inside and obviously very scared. Devi knew that she had to make a decision: run back into the darkness and possibly have to face the tentacles again, or head towards the light and possibly get dragged into some hideous trap. Either way looked bleak, but if there was any chance of saving the person hooked up to that machine, Devi knew she had to help.

As Devi walked towards the light, every couple of steps another scream echoed through the darkness, each time making Devi regret her decision. As she got closer she began to recognise the glint of sharp metal on either side of the man, who seemed to be buckled to a long, thick pipe. The person's head was hanging down and Devi didn't recognise him. Approaching the machine, Devi could now see the entire machine clearly. It was horrific: on either side was a row of long, sharp spikes aligned exactly where the man's body was, two knives were aimed at the head, and two extremely long blades were positioned on the floor, pointing at the man's abdomen.

'Oh god!' Devi cried, her head in her hands.

The man lifted his head and screamed again. Devi looked up, and realisation dawned on her... it was Nny. Shackled to the horrible death machine before her was the man who tried to kill her so many months ago. He screamed again, but this time it was not wordless noise. It was clear and loud and it struck her heart like an arrow.

'DEVVIIIIIIII!' the man screamed, pleading for mercy.

Although Devi's head was screaming bloody murder, her heart urged her onwards. She took a small step forwards, and then another. Slowly the distance between the machine and the girl began to close. She was about ten metres away from him when she stopped for once not of choice. As soon as she took a step forward, it was as if the machine moved a step away. Devi tried running but the distance refused to shorten. If anything, Nny seemed to be getting further away.

'DEVVIIIII!' he screamed again, and Devi began to cry as she tried to run faster.

'Hold on!' She shouted as Nny moved further and further into the darkness. The light was flickering and Devi felt the hot sting of tears down her face. 'Don't go! Come back!'

Devi heard one final scream, a click of cogs then a terrible ''KKCHNK''.

'NNNYYYYY!' Devi screamed as the blackness overwhelmed her again. She awoke screaming; clutching her pillow and dripping with sweat.


	4. Get Me Out Of Here

She awoke screaming, clutching her pillow, a cold sweat coating her pale face. Her eyes searched the dark corners of the room for any sign of him. After convincing herself that it was safe and that she was indeed the only person there, her body relaxed and she swung her legs over the side of the bed. Brushing a few stray strands of purple hair away from her eyes, Devi wondered if she would ever get a good night's sleep again.

Wrapping her arms around her thin body, she walked into her living room. Making her way to the door, she flipped the light switch. She carefully checked all the deadbolts on her door before moving to make sure that her windows were locked securely as well. As soon as she felt s that her apartment lock system was safe, she made her way back into her bedroom. She threw open the wardrobe door, half expecting to find him lurking in the shadows, but all she found was the familiar clothes and the canvases propped up against the back of the wardrobe. Shutting the door, she flopped back down onto the mattress, tucked the blanket around her body once again, waiting for the chills running through her body to subside.

The pain, apparently kept at bay by her frantic focus on checking the locks, now made a reappearance, and for some considerable time, Devi knew no more.

A few hours later, when the pain finally dulled, Devi found that she had somehow migrated from the bed to the sofa. This wasn't the first time this had happened, but it still unnerved her. She had no recollection of even considering moving, let alone actually doing it. Running her fingers through her hair, Devi briefly wondered what to do next. Luckily, right at that moment her brain reminded her that she hadn't had a coffee in over eight hours. Sighing, Devi stood up from the sofa, still a bit unsteady on her feet, and walked over to the kitchen.

Her faithful coffee maker was sitting dutifully on the counter top. Reaching into the cupboard, Devi pulled out the jar and the sugar. Having only recently discovered the joys of sugar in coffee (after an incident at the coffee shop with a wrong order) Devi now took hers strong and black, but with two sugars. The sweetness seemed to melt away the thoughts of the pain. Pouring the granules into the machine, Devi flicked the switch on the side. The sun was rising as Devi walked over to the window and stared out at the city. It really was beautiful when you looked down on it. Devi recalled a long ago conversation, then pushed the thought quickly away before she had time to remember exactly who the conversation has been with. Snapping back to reality, Devi sighed as the scent of hot coffee began to fill up her tiny flat.

She was just beginning to smile slightly when a knock at the door jolted her out of her reverie. Crossly, Devi slammed her mug down on the table with rather too much force; hot coffee spilled over onto her hands. The girl who opened the door was therefore not in the very best of moods.

A small red-headed girl stood with her hand in the air, presumably from where she had previously been knocking on the door. Awkwardly lowering her hand, the young lady beamed at Devi, her pink lips spreading in a wide inviting smile that was obviously forced.

"Hello, I'm Miss Rigby and I'm here to introduce you to an exciting product. May I come in?" Without waiting for an answer, the peppy female danced right passed Devi into her living room, dragging her box of samples with her.

Devi whirled around to face the intruder, now seated on her couch. The girl had reached into the box and had started unpacking various bottles onto the table. She pulled out her phone and proceeded to text. Some time later, she put away her phone and she turned around to face her potential client. Her eyes widened as she took in the murderous form before her. Devi's hand was hovering over the hammer she always kept near the door in case of 'emergencies'. Her head was lowered and the look in her eyes was not what one might call friendly. Miss Rigby's dark eyes were wide as if she was suddenly getting the idea she was some place very wrong.

Quickly packing everything back into the box and accidentally knocking over the coffee cup, the girl rushed to her feet. The dark liquid was crawling over the edge of the table and onto the carpet. Devi's eyes widened in horror as the elixir soaked into the fibres. She wanted to scream; she wanted to cry. Her fingers subconsciously grasped the heavy handle of the hammer. Taking slow, deliberate steps, she advanced towards the girl, who was now backing away towards the door.

'Is it so much to ask to be left alone? To have some peace? To have a single cup of coffee?' Devi asked the cowering figure, fire blazing in her eyes.

'I...I...I'm just here to sell make up! I didn't mean it! Honest!' the girl stumbled over her words pleading. There had definitely not been any mention of having to deal with psychopathic women in her contract; no training for what to do in this situation.

'I didn't invite you in and you just assumed that I wanted to buy your stupid product! Do you know what that's made of? Chemicals and dead animals! No! I do not want to smother your over-packaged, over-priced crap on my face! Is self esteem so low that women feel the need to cover their faces in make-up before leaving the house, because they're so scared of people seeing what they really look like? You know what! You're an ugly person! You spend your life trying to convince people that they aren't pretty enough and they need make-up to be a beautiful person! Then you spend the rest of your time texting your little friends about stupid irrelevant, unimportant, materialistic nonsense!' Devi screamed, punctuating her sentences occasionally with a wave of the hammer.

Meanwhile the girl had reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone again. Realising that she was about to call 911, Devi threw the hammer with deadly precision and the glass screen of the phone shattered on the floor as the terrified girl dropped it.

'Ha! You missed me!' the girl cried out hysterically. Devi could feel the rage still burning through her veins and clouding her mind. She was practically shaking with the force of it all.

_This ignorant waste of flesh doesn't deserve to live!_

There it was again, the raspy yet deafening voice in the back of her head.

_There are simply so many ways to do it! Look at the floor, it's covered with glass. One small cut, and the life of this pathetic waste of a human being is ended. I'll protect you Devi! You'd never get caught, not if we work together._ The voice was seductive and Devi was sorely tempted to just give in. It would probably stop the migraines...Devi stooped down and picked up one of the larger shards of glass. She turned it over in her hands, marvelling at the refracted light casting rainbows on the wall.

The ginger girl had backed into a corner and was sobbing uncontrollably.

'Oh silence, you crying waste of space!' Devi took a step closer, looking deep into the terrified girl's eyes. Raising the sliver of glass above her head, Devi exhaled deeply. The voice was practically shouting now.

_Yes! That's it! You can do this, you're so close. Cut her throat! Kill her! You're perfect! Just like him!_

The universe came flooding back to Devi, and she threw the shard of glass to the floor.

'LEAVE! Go now while you still can!' Devi shouted hysterically at the girl, shoving her towards the open corridor. The girl ran out and Devi slammed the door behind her collapsing onto the floor.

_Damn it, Devi! You were so close. You could have been reunited with your friend! You could have been together. Finally happy! You two are so similar..._ The voice trailed off as Devi screamed towards her empty apartment. With all the mental force she could muster, she screamed back internally:

_**I AM NOTHING LIKE JOHNNY!**_


End file.
